The present invention relates to rotatable performance devices, particularly yo-yos having components that are selectively detachable to vary “play” characteristics of the device.
Rotatable performance devices, such as diabolos, yo-yos, and the like, are well-known entertainment devices for performing maneuvers or tricks. Yo-yos include a string that engages an axle of the device, and the string is initially wound around the axle and connected to a user's finger. The yo-yo is “thrown down” to cause two halves or lobes of the yo-yo to spin relative to the string. After the lobes begin spinning or “sleeping” at the end of the string, the user may perform maneuvers such as “walking the dog”, swinging the yo-yo “around the world”, and the like.
Depending generally on the distance between the lobes and their size and shape, yo-yos have different types of motion or “play” characteristics. For example, a yo-yo is typically classified as a “string trick” yo-yo if weight is concentrated at the rims of the lobes. Such a configuration provides stability and facilitates tricks involving string manipulation. Conversely, a yo-yo is typically classified as a “looping” yo-yo if the weight of the lobes is concentrated near the center of the yo-yo. This configuration facilitates tricks in which the yo-yo is kept in motion without simply sleeping at the end of the string.
String trick yo-yos cannot typically be modified to act as looping yo-yos and vice versa. As such, many yo-yo users typically purchase and, in the case of yo-yo competitions, carry at least one string trick yo-yo and at least one looping yo-yo to perform the different types of tricks described above. Considering these drawbacks of previous yo-yos, a yo-yo design is needed that permits easy modification of play characteristics.